Criss Cross Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Criss Cross Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 27, 2020

Robert Siodmak's "Criss Cross" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; new audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin; new audio commentary by film author Lee Gambin and actress Rutanya Alda; vintage radio adaptation; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It is very easy for me to agree with folks who have argued that Robert Siodmak’s film Criss Cross has issues because they are actually quite easy to identify. I am going to mention a few of them below, but first I wish to point out something else that I think makes it even easier to understand why the film isn’t universally liked.

Criss Cross was the second collaboration between director Robert Siodmack and Burt Lancaster and was released just a couple of years after their first, The Killers. The latter is widely considered one of film noir’s biggest jewels, and rightfully so -- it works with a very good short story by Ernest Hemingway to produce some terrific thematic and visual contrasts, plus Lancaster and Ava Gardner have a great chemistry before the camera. Additionally, while Criss Cross is certainly a fine-looking film, it is not as stylishly lensed as The Killers. This is the main reason why so many other film noirs have tried to replicate so much of the footage where Lancaster and Gardner look as if they are posing for a vintage fashion magazine. In other words, while evaluating Criss Cross it is awfully difficult not to compare it to The Killers, and the more you do so, the clearer it becomes that it has ‘issues’.

But what are some of the legitimate issues with Criss Cross? The most serious ones can actually be traced back to Lancaster’s performance. He again plays a man pursuing a beautiful girl (Yvonne De Carlo) who may not be right for him, only this time he is trying to rekindle an old relationship after he discovers that she has married a gangster (Dan Duryea) from the seediest part of LA. When the former lovers begin seeing each other and get caught, the man convinces the gangster and his crew to rob his armored truck, and then crafts a different plan to get rid of him and walk away with the money and the girl. But the supposedly perfect plan quickly begins to fall apart and with it so does Lancaster’s performance. Interestingly, the collapse is a byproduct of a different process initiated by Duryea’s vastly superior performance, which very quickly produces a different intensity that feels much more appropriate for the film. Lancaster can’t keep up with it and when he struggles to match it, the quality of his performance suffers.

Another issue is the naivety of Lancaster’s character. Screenwriter Daniel Fuchs, who adapted Don Tracy’s novel, obviously deserves to be mentioned as well, but Lancaster could have done quite a bit more to sell better the inability of his character to recognize how his plan is in fact a deadly trap. He tends to overdramatize a lot that could have made his character look much more authentic.

Lastly, De Carlo actually has a much better chemistry with Duryea, which is a problem because it again makes Lancaster look inferior. In the opening sequence where she snubs Duryea’s gangster the two are so great together that later on when more is revealed about her relationship with Lancaster’s character their attraction looks very suspicious. While broken, the other relationship is much easier to accept as legit.

But there is still a lot to like in this film. For example, while following Lancaster’s character around the camera preserves plenty of LA’s vintage charm and the manner in which cinematographer Franz Planer uses light and shadow to work with it is actually rather impressive. A tremendous score from the great Miklos Rozsa does plenty to ramp up the drama as well. Contrary to what some old reviews have claimed even the preparation efforts and the actual robbery pretty look good.

Criss Cross Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Criss Cross arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration that was prepared by Universal Pictures. (In case you are wondering, Shout Factory's release is sourced from the same restoration). I think that the presentation is outstanding, every bit as impressive as the one Universal Pictures provided for Double Indemnity. In fact, I see so many similarities between the two that I would not be surprised to learn that some of the same people were tasked to restored both films.

On my system the film boasts tremendous depth and clarity, with the overall density of the visuals matching what I consider to be 'reference levels'. Quite predictably, even exceptionally small details are very easy to recognize (see screencapture #7). The restored master is also very carefully graded, I dare say even better than the one that was prepared for Double Indemnity. There are very solid blacks with outstanding ranges of healthy gray and white nuances. (On the Double Indemnity restoration the blacks are perhaps just a tiny bit stronger than they should be). There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Grain is nicely and very evenly exposed, as it should be after a proper 4K makeover. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are absolutely no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Criss Cross Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is very healthy. I had the volume turned up quite a bit while viewing the film and I thought that the upper register, where age-related issues typically pop up, was very solid. Miklós Rózsa's score produced a lot of dynamic intensity as well, which frankly surprised me a bit. Clarity and balance are excellent.

Criss Cross Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Criss Cross. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Radio Adaptation - Screen Director's Playhouse radio adaptation from 1949, featuring Burt Lancaster. (30 min).

• Isolated music & effects track - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Audio Commentary One - this new audio commentary was recorded by film author Lee Gambin and actress Rutanya Alda.

• Audio Commentary Two - this new audio commentary was recorded by critic Adrian Martin.

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing by critic Kat Ellinger; an essay by critic Adam Batty; archival writing and imagery.

Criss Cross Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is it possible to view Criss Cross and not compare it to The Killers? I don't think so, and once you do it, you are going to start discovering a lot of issues in it that could have been avoided. I believe that most of them can be traced back to Burt Lancaster, who is overshadowed by a much more intense and ultimately more authentic Dan Duryea. Believe it or not, I even think that the latter has a better chemistry with Yvonne De Carlo, though their characters are in an odd relationship that is supposed to be doomed. I still like Criss Cross because it is quite beautifully shot, but I consider The Killers a vastly superior film. Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from a gorgeous 4K restoration that was completed by Universal Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.